Issy Cory
Caroline is being questioned about the murder of her child, Robbie, by Billie, a detective, and June, her psychic sidekick. Through June’s visions, they discover that Billie, too, has the same power, and as we learn more about the future, the dark truths of the present are unveiled.
We see Robbie all grown-up in Caroline’s future projections, and we slowly learn more about his troubled life. After learning about some of his despicable actions, Caroline faces a dilemma that no parent should have to face.
Fred and Bert Theatre present this thriller with a mystifying, twisted concept. It draws cleverly on the widely discussed notion of whether we could go back and rewrite history, if given the power to do so. It is a promising set-up.
Transitions in and out of June and Caroline’s visions (both psychic) are deftly put together, using audio clips extracted from the present interrogation to draw us back into nightmarish future manifestations. Although, with two of the four characters being psychic, this core plot point loses a bit of its punch.
The blocking felt as though it was missing some serious guts. With so much action happening far away upstage, behind a big table and chairs, it all came across a bit clumsy. There was a lack of care, of attentiveness with the ensemble’s movements, and honestly felt as though much was left up to the actors to decide for themselves.
Some of the directorial ideas also went amiss. In a sweeping motion across the trestle table, Robert, played by Oli May, flung a pile of magazines and a metal ashtray hurtling into the front row, which I, alas, was sitting in. It seems as though the translation from whatever previous space The Infant was performed in, to this space, was not as successful as the company had hoped.
Despite these drawbacks, Isolde Jane’s performance as Billie felt enormously authentic. A killer accent, paired with a badass detective attitude, made for a very accomplished rendition.
As for the other performers, the volume was so low at times that members of the audience had to lean forward to hear them. White noise underscoring the interrogation scenes didn’t help with this, though it was a nice touch amongst the collage of elements during this play.
Recommended Drink: Apparently milk was adopted as the official state beverage by the Arkansas General Assembly of 1985. Fun fact!
You can catch The Infant at Theatre 1 at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall from Aug 20-23 at 10:35. Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
